1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a motor vehicle lock and, more specifically, to the use of a motor to open the ratchet of a motor vehicle lock.
2. Description of Related Art
A vehicle lock which is known, for example, from published German Patent Application DE 196 14 122 A1, (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 5,934,717), and which is popular for motor vehicle side doors, has a latch and an assigned hook-shaped ratchet. The latch can hold or secure a striker and is, for its part, blocked by the ratchet which can engage the latch in a main catch position and a preliminary catch position.
Published German Patent Application DE 20 01 653 A shows a motor vehicle lock with a latch and an assigned (i.e., associated) ratchet. The ratchet is not hook-shaped, but instead made in the manner of a swiveling pin. The pin has a recess that forms an engagement section which can be moved into blocking engagement with the latch by swiveling the pin. The actuation of the ratchet, which has been formed in this way, takes place via a conventional lever arrangement.
Published German Patent Application DE 101 11 085 A1 discloses a motor vehicle lock with a latch and a ratchet, which can be actuated, for example, by an electric motor via a worm gear. This gear requires high precision of all components and therefore high production costs. In practice, it has been shown that a worm gear tends to premature failure. Another disadvantage is that a worm gear transfers the motor noise to all other components so that the motor vehicle lock exhibits undesirably high operating noise.
Published German Patent Application DE 196 04 724 A1 discloses a motor vehicle lock with a latch and an assigned ratchet. A flexible traction element called a cable pull connects the ratchet to the handle so that the ratchet can be opened by manual actuation of the handle. As such, there is no motorized driving of the ratchet.
Published German Patent Application DE 102 00 551 A1 discloses a motor vehicle lock with a swiveling catch that is used to directly secure or hold the striker in an inlet slot of the motor vehicle lock in a locked or blocked state. The catch can be swiveled manually, or by motor, via an opening element in the opening direction. The opening element can have a sheathed cable. Specific instructions for implementation of an opening drive by means of a flexible traction means are not provided.